Trust and Obey

You might remember when some religious leaders challenged Jesus’ authority to say the things He said. You can find it in chapter 21 of Matthew’s gospel:

      “. . . . the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ “But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet.” And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” (verses 23-27)

Of course, Jesus’ question is not consigned to the first century. His question echoes into the 21st, as well: Is God the author of divine Scripture, or is He not? 

We should be careful how we respond, for our answer will hold eternal consequences – not only for us, but also for those we love. If God is not the divine author of everything in Genesis through Revelation, then there is no compelling reason to obey any of Scripture’s commandments, including those related to sexuality, abortion, marriage, and other current cultural issues. 

But if God is the divine author of Scripture, then we can expect Him to ask us at the judgment: Did you believe it – and obey it?